Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)

Waterford has traditionally been a modern manufacturing centre since the 1950s. During the past ten years, there have been substantial job losses in this sector, however. Unfortunately, no real strategy has been developed at national level in replacing these manufacturing jobs.

If the trend continues, the amount of manufacturing industry left in Waterford in ten years time will be a matter of grave concern. In regard to the Waterford constituency, as of last Friday the live register for Dungarvan was 2,209 while the live register for Waterford city was 12,250. The comparative figures for the same weekend last year were 1,256 for Dungarvan as against 7,466 for Waterford. These figures represent an increase of 4,794 for Waterford city and an increase of 953 for Dungarvan.

A further blow for Waterford yesterday was the announcement that another 120 jobs are to go at the Bausch & Lomb plant. For the 1,100 employees who will remain at Bausch & Lomb, major issues regarding competitiveness of the plant must be addressed. Already some production of Bausch & Lomb's range of contact lenses is moving to the parent plant in Rochester, New York State.

This followed the announcement last week that ABB Transformers Limited in Waterford will cease production at the end of March 2010 with the loss of 178 jobs. Transformers have been manufactured at the same site in Waterford for 40 years. The plant is currently building a transformer for Great Garbert wind farm on the Thames in south England and one for Hunter's Hill in County Fermanagh.

The Government, particularly the Green Party members, makes great play of the green economy. I have already taken up the moving forward of wind generation electricity projects with the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Eamon Ryan, so that ABB would be in a position to tender for the transformers in such operations. If the State is to move forward on alternative energy sources in a meaningful way, surely the national capacity for producing transformers, a vital part of such development, needs to be maintained and indeed developed.

Many companies in Waterford are on short time. I understand one is because it is awaiting payment from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Manufacturing of crystal in Waterford ended this year. In 1988, Waterford Crystal employed 3,200 people at three plants in Kilbarry, Dungarvan and Butlerstown. Waterford Crystal employees are still awaiting payment of minimum notice and holiday pay entitlements from the insolvency fund in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. I ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to rectify this position.

For the past ten years, the Government had no effective strategy in place to retain manufacturing jobs, to expand on existing employment, to attract new investment and to encourage local entrepreneurs to develop projects and employment in the areas where we can best compete. The key to such a strategy should be the upgrading of Waterford Institute of Technology to university status so that Waterford and the south east region can develop a research and development capacity and provide the fourth level education that is needed to allow the region to prosper. The structures that need to be put in place should include each of the many effective players in the Waterford area. Real Government intervention is urgently needed in the Waterford area to deal with the developing jobs crisis. There is a great need to draw on the resources of the trade union movement as a full and equal partner in the context of the developments that will take place. The role of the trade union movement in dealing with the crisis on the ground needs to be recognised as the positive contribution it is. It is totally and utterly unacceptable that the situation is being allowed to drift at present. I demand that urgent, appropriate and effective action be taken by the Government to ensure Waterford's long-term future. The loss of so much manufacturing and construction employment is also having a detrimental effect on the retail sector, which is a large employer in Waterford.

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